It didn’t matter that the Washington Capitals declared the fourth-line center job up for grabs and then gave themselves more options open by inviting players to training camp. Michael Latta always considered it his gig to lose.
“He’s always had some confidence,” said defenseman Karl Alzner, who sits next to Latta in Washington’s dressing room. “But I think he’s got a little bit more now.”
Though Latta was never reassigned to Hershey last season, spending the entirety of his official rookie season with the Capitals, his role was limited to the fourth line, where he skated at both wing and center.